Vehicle arrestor



Aug. 22, 1944.

E. A. BANscHBACH lVEHICLE ARRESTOR Filed Sept. 10, 1941 Patented Aug. 22, 1944 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT 4"OFFICE v `VEHICLE ARRESTOR Edward A. Banschbach, Madison, Wis.V l Application September 10, 1941, Serial No. 410,302

i (Cl. 392-6) 2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to an obstruction in or upon a roadway, to arrest and stop vehicles thereon, and has more particular reference to a yielding or resilient obstruction for engaging and gradually stopping a vehicle andv thereby protecting it and its occupants from danger or injury, and also preventing the vehicle from passing the obstruction and thereby protecting pedestrians and others outside of the vehicle.

An important object of the invention is in the provision of a safety appliance for use in highways for arresting and stopping vehicles and g for providing a visible barrier which affords protection to pedestrians or persons waiting at the?v side of or in a roadway. I l

A further important object of the invention is in the provision of a vehicle arrestor which will stop a vehicle, such as an automobile, without undue violence to the car or its occupants.

Other and further objects will appear hereinafter, the preferred constructions being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatical View with parts shown in section, illustrating a vehicle arrestor of the type usually mounted below the level of a highway but movable above the highway to constitute a barrier together with a control signalling means therefor.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the roadway slots of a structure as shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of the housing tubes or conduits as taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the compartment housing the elevating mechanism.

Waiting pedestrians and vehicles may be protected upon or along a highway by a rigid barrier of stone, concrete, and the like, but by providing a yielding barrier of the roadway, even a heavily loaded, speeding vehicle, bus or truck, will be arrested and stopped without wrecking the vehicles and without danger to them or their loads to passengers within them, or to persons standing adjacent to the arrestors.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, an arrestor of the type shown by Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, comprises slots |02 provided in a roadway by inserting pairs of grooved members |03 which together form a substantially circular longitudinal passage |04 communicating with the roadway through the slot |02, and a lower passage |05 through which dirt, ice, snow, and debris will fall to the underneath drainage conduit |06.

The actuating means and vehicle arrestor, proper, H2, H3, and HB, together with the motive power, are set within theenlargement of the `the top wall of the compartment H4, itself, and

positively prevents H3 from being thrust upwardly, through the narrow slot |02 of Figs. 2, 3, and 4. 7

The circles on H3 of Fig. 1 indicate necessary strength and width, to prevent upward passage thru the slot |02, and also to prevent failureof the resistance of H3 of Figs. 1 and 4.

In Fig. 4 this front View of the end of the spring conduit |03 shows the vehicle arrestor, proper, |2 and I3, in the raisedand vehicle obstructing and varresting position. 5-

In addition |26 of Fig. 4 yshows the added obstruction of the over projecting ends of the pivotbolt |26 to obstruct passageof |'2 and H3 upwards into the slot |02.

Means for adding immovable anchorage of compartment H4 in the roadway and generally in concrete, is provided.

In the upper passage |04 is installed a series of compression springs preferably comprising sections |01, |08 and |09 of graduated resisting capacities.

The further or rear end of this passage |04, of |03, is closed by a cap, or other method, H0 which forms an abutment for the springs, and at the other end of the passage is a plunger H| having a pivotal connection with one end of an abutment arm |2, the other end of which pivotally is connected to the bumper post H3. The post and arm are of a width to move upwardly through the slot |02 and the post is suiciently long to extend through the slot and above the roadway to obstruct the passage of vehicles.

The arm does not move downwardly through the slot |02, until allowed to restore to normal The spring I I6 holds H3 against H2 and its abutment H and also allows vehiclesto deflect H3 when impacting H3 from the side of H5 of Fig. 1, and momentarily driving H3 down, while the vehicle passes over it, deected, in the reverse direction.

To raise the bumper above the level of the roadway a motor II'I is connected by a gearing with a cam H8- adapted to rotate on the underside of the arm H2 thus raising the arm H3 to the vehicle obstructing and arresting position, shown in Fig. 1, above the roadway and into the path of oncoming vehicles.

This motor may be controlled by a road plate H9 at a distance in an intersecting highway by means of conductors leading to the motor and to a semaphore |2| for indicating theposition of bumper arms H3. f y

When one or more of the bumper arms I I3 are engaged by a vehicle, compression springs |01,

A| 0B and |09 in accordance with the impact therewith,` the bumper arms will be moved to a position as represented by the brokenoutline of a vehicle in Fig. 1, thus gradually and smoothly and resistingly arresting and inally stopping the vehicle, resiliently, and perhaps with no marring at all.

In a reverse moving, or opposite moving direc- :tion.to that shown, by the dotted line figure of Y. The resilient means H6 of Fig. 1 would allow the deflectionvand also restore it to the braced position against I I5 of H2.

In a construction of this kind having an open slot, in a road way, it is necessary to provide for passage of dirt, debris, snow, crushed ice, etc.,

which may drop down thru the slot |02. This is provided for by the sub-spring conduit |04,

Fig. -3, drainage conduit |06, with nearly full .length slot connecting |06 with |04. This slot to be of wider opening than |02 in the roadway surface. Hence with the wide spacing between the coils of the compression springs, and the Wider, lower or underside slot of |04, joining nearly full length |06 together, the objects which can pass thru the narrower surface slot |02. will pass right down, between the open compression spring spacings, and through the wider slot joining |04 and |06 where rain, snow, sprinkling, and flooding, will wash the accumulation within |06 into the sewers, As the impact of vehicles against the barrier will always be in proportion to the weight of the vehicle, the resistance' to the vehicle will result in reaction return of the barrier to normal only in proportion to the size of the vehicle. Hence there is practically no return thrust of the barrier to push the vehicles backwardly somewhat.

Vehicles need back up and allow the barrier to follow them back until the barrier reaches normal, unoperated, position across the roadway.

Various other changes in the construction, combination and arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim is:

`1. In a roadway crossing barrier, an underpavement conduit with surface slot extending the principal length of the conduit, the conduit being filled with resilient means, a vehicle impact member movably mounted in the conduit and projecting upwardly through the slot whereby on impact by a vehicle, motion of the latter is resiliently arrested. l

2. In a roadway crossing barrier, an underpavement conduit with surface slot extending the principal length of the conduit, the conduit being filled with lengths of springs of increasing strengths of resistance, for allowing graduated resistances, forl widely Varied speeds and weights of vehicles striking the impact member mounted `in the conduit and projecting upwardly through the slot, whereby on impact of a vehicle, motion of the latter is resiliently and gradually resisted at first by the lighter resistance ofthe lighter springs and lastly by the much stronger resistance of the heavier springs.

` EDWARD A. BANSCHBACH. 

